Young Spaniards' emigration up 41 pct due to joblessness

The economic crisis Spain has suffered since 2008 has increased the number of young people emigrating to other countries by 41 percent, due to the lack of work prospects any time soon in a country with a jobless rate among the young of 56.14 percent.

According to figures from the National Statistics Institute, or INE, 2012 was the third straight year Spain was drained by emigration, with 476,748 people leaving the country, of whom 59,724 were Spanish, and with Ecuador and Britain the countries that welcomed most of them.

Among the Spanish emigrants, 7,808 were between ages 20 and 29, an amount that almost doubles by adding those between ages 30 and 34, bringing the total to 14,084.

Which means that emigrants up to age 29 increased by 40.9 percent in 2012 over 2008, while including those up to age 34 boosts the increase to 41.4 percent.

In 2008 the jobless rate among those younger than age 25 was 29.16 percent, while in 2012 it reached 55.13 percent, according to official figures.

Ecuador, Britain, France and Germany were the principal destinations of Spanish emigrants in 2012, followed at some distance by countries like Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil and Peru.

In fact, Ecuador offered employment this year to 5,500 educators, from university professors to high-school and primary-school teachers.

With this offer, the Ecuadorian government seeks to cover the deficit of educators in the country, where in its capital of Quito alone there is a need for 1,200 more primary school and high school teachers. EFE